Gay rights supporter Chris Kluwe was released by Vikings a week later

Among the many issues raised last week when Jason Collins came out of the closet in a Sports Illustrated cover story, was how much impact the groundbreaking move would still have if Collins, a free agent this offseason, wasn’t an active NBA player next season.

A week later, the sports world may have been provided a partial answer: Chris Kluwe was released by the Minnesota Vikings. The only active pro athlete as outspoken on behalf of gay rights as Kluwe was linebacker Brendan Ayanbadejo … who was released by the Baltimore Ravens a month ago, before Collins’ big acknowledgement.

The Minnesota Vikings released punter Chris Kluwe, an outspoken advocate of gay rights, a week after Jason Collins announced he was gay. (AP Photo)

“I find it interesting that the timing is what it is,’’ said Dr. Mary McDonald, sports sociologist and kinesiology professor at Miami University of Ohio, whose specialties include gender issues and the history of activism.

“There’s no conspiracy here,’’ she added, “but the timing is very interesting … The question is, how does either advocacy about sexual orientation or coming out create unease around teams, work environments and sponsors?”

For those following the evolution of gays and lesbians in big-time sports before and after Collins, the antenna was up for developments just like this. The initial response from around sports, including from NFL active and retired players, was encouraging of the step forward.

In the weeks before the announcement, the NFL had investigated reports of teams questioning draft prospects about their sexual preferences, then clarified the league’s anti-harassment policies with respect to homosexuality in a memo from commissioner Roger Goodell.

That left advocates optimistic—guardedly.

“Just because we have one, that doesn’t mean the job is done,’’ said Hudson Taylor, the founder of Athlete Ally, the coalition of gay and straight athletes which has Ayanbadejo and Kluwe among its most vociferous members.

“There’s never been a successful social change in a minority group without the help of the majority,’’ Taylor said. “If we’re going to make our locker rooms safe and inclusive places for everybody, we’re going to need active players who are ‘out’ and in those locker rooms and part of those teams.’’

That, then, would mean that Collins’ negotiations to either re-join the Wizards or sign elsewhere will take on tremendous weight.

“I think that if he isn’t picked up by any team, it’ll send the message, intended or not, that such players should stay in the closet,’’ said Sterling Washington, who heads the mayor’s office on LGBT affairs for Washington, D.C.

The aforementioned reactions came before Kluwe’s release. The fact that he, Ayanbadejo and the recently-retired Scott Fujita were the primary voices of support in the NFL—and are now all unemployed—has not gone unnoticed. That also reflects the “intended or not” caveat, because, like the 34-year-old Collins, age and contract status are logical justification for Ayanbadejo’s and Fujita’s career uncertainty.

But that other, looming factor can’t automatically be dismissed. Kluwe, the franchise’s all-time leader in punting average, is just 31 and was still effective last season. The Vikings drafted UCLA punter Jeff Locke in the fifth round last month.

All things considered, McDonald said, Kluwe’s release “might be a little more complicated.

“It really does highlight the workplace environment for gays and lesbians,’’ she said. “Clearly there was a concern on Jason Collins’ part about why he didn’t come out earlier, his concerns that it would affect his career prospects. You saw the same situation when (retired NBA player) John Amaechi came out a few years ago, why he chose to not come out while he was playing.

“I think if you put the body of work and research to it, you can conclude that homophobia plays a role.’’

After Kluwe was released, Taylor was determined not to conclude anything about the reasons. He chose his words carefully, knowing that Kluwe still has a chance to sign with a new team. Kluwe himself has stayed silent, unlike Ayanbadejo, who initially pointed directly at his activism as the reason he was released (“My bark is bigger than my bite,’’ he told Newsday), then completely reversed his field the next day.

“Generally, what I’ll say is, there is an athletic culture that discourages athletic activism of any kind,’’ Taylor said.

That culture is shifting, McDonald said, as is the one that specifically made the sports world a hostile place for gays and lesbians and those who openly support them. But Collins’ coming out isn’t changing it overnight—and the week that separated that from Kluwe being released only complicates things.

“It does make one wonder,’’ she said, “to what extent it will be an obstacle to overcome.’’